Afghan War

Afghan War, in the history of Afghanistan, the internal conflict (1978–92) between anticommunist Muslim guerrillas and the Afghan communist government (aided in 1979–89 by Soviet troops). More broadly, the term also encompasses military activity within Afghanistan since 1992 involving domestic and foreign forces.

The roots of the war lay in the overthrow of the centrist government of President Mohammad Daud Khan in April 1978 by left-wing military officers led by Nur Mohammad Taraki. Power was thereafter shared by two Marxist-Leninist political groups, the People’s (Khalq) Party and the Banner (Parcham) Party, which had earlier emerged from a single organization, the People’s Democratic ... (100 of 1,233 words)